The Iris of Your Soul
by ApolloBlackwood
Summary: Iris Hawthorne still has feelings for Phoenix Wright but doesn't cope well with them in her daily life at Hazakura Temple. To make matters worse she is faced with someone who wants to see her dead ...


**The Iris of Your Soul**

~o~

_See end of chapter for notes._

~o~

~o~

She was beginning to realise how far down in her memory she'd buried her teenage years. The thought first occurred to her when she was washing the sisters' clothes in the stream, passing by like the beat of a butterfly's wing. She remembered it when she was putting the washed clothes up for drying and stared blankly at the shirt in her hands for several seconds but Sister Bikini's shout for her startled and asked for her immediate attention.

"Iris, darling, you seem distracted lately, is everything okay?" Sister Bikini added an extra large portion of spinach on Iris' bowl of curry and handed her the steaming food over the head of a young acolyte.

Iris shook her head, embracing the bowl's escaping warmth with both hands.

"I just- it's nothing, Sister."

"Sister Iris, are you going to watch over my training tonight?" Young Ecci Light leaned closer to Iris' side, eyes burning with passion and anticipation, and hugged Iris tightly as she nodded with a smile. "Yipiie! Sister Iris is going to watch my final training!" She stood up and looked triumphantly at the other acolytes around the fire but Iris admonished her calmly to sit back down and eat her spinach too if she wanted to be a successful medium one day.

"Acolytes don't get high spiritual power without the right nutrition", she said.

The rest of the evening followed the same routine. Iris made sure that the younger acolytes in training were all safely tugged into their beds, prepared the bath for Sister Bikini and rang the lights-out bell before returning to her room in order to prepare everything for herself as well. Tonight she would take over the watch over young Light and with Light's success in the last training she'd become a Sister of Hazakura Temple. The third sister next to Sister Bikini and Sister Iris herself.

_Finally somebody to help me out with this_, Iris sighed. She knelt in front of her drawer and started searching for warmer clothes for the night when she noticed an old piece of clothing underneath the other layers. She took it out and held it against the window light. "Oh this." Her mood darkened. There was that letter with it as well, the words burned into her inner eye without that she had to read it again.

~o~

_Dear Iris,_

_this must sound very unsettling and does not speak for my good manners, especially after all that we have been through but please accept back your gift that you made me years ago. It is part of a history that I need to leave behind in order to be able to move on. But please, dear Iris, don't think that I think ill of you! It would never be like this! You're still my darling Iris._

_I just need some time._

_Yours,_

_Phoenix Wright_

~o~

He wrote this letter months ago. When Iris had seen the familiar stamp from Japanifornia on the envelope her heart had started beating very fast and her hands had been shaking. She nearly dropped the letter into the snow and hurried inside to read it. The young acolytes, who had been watching it all, ran after her and gave her the package that had arrived with the letter – they found Iris standing in the main hall, eyes blank with disbelief and heart shattered into pieces, shards that were unbeknownst to everyone but herself. Shards that she quickly hid away before they were discovered, hid them away behind a smile and a thank you.

Iris folded the pink sweater and stuffed it back into the drawer. Now was not the time to be reminiscent of old times and to dwell on dark thoughts. Young Ecci waited for her at the Sacred Cavern. Even though it was a separate building inside, no heating was allowed there (since the cave was too old to be modified properly). And it was always cold up here in the mountains.

With her warm cape around her shoulders Iris went outside into the upcoming snow storm and sat down onto the snowmobile, almost their only means of transport around Hazakura Temple. Sister Bikini had wanted a car at one point but you hardly could drive a car over Dusky Bridge.

Not that you could really do that with the snowmobile either.

At the time when Iris reached Dusky Bridge the snow had become heavier and covered her shoulders and hair and flew into her nose, making it hard to breathe properly. Iris covered herself up more, made her way over the bridge, entered training grounds hastily.

"Oh, Sister Iris, you're full with snow!" Young Ecci ran to her and helped her clean herself off the snow flakes, which melted into small pools of water around her feet on the ground.

"It's too cold tonight, Ecci", Iris muttered, took off her cape and wrapped it around Ecci's shoulders. Following protocol, Ecci was dressed in training garment, consisting of a thin robe and nothing to protect her from the cold.

However, the acolyte shook her head violently and pressed the cape against Iris' chest.

"You will have to sit here all night, Sister Iris! It's part of my training to not freeze tonight and I am positive that I will make it! There is no problem with it, really! But Hazakura Temple depends on you, so you mustn't be sick. Please, keep your cape and let us begin with training."

Even though young Ecci smiled the effect of her speech was diminished by her blue trembling lips. Iris shook her head and emphatically pressed her cape against shaking Ecci.

"Whatever the odds, I can return to Hazakura Temple and get another cape. Also, I have extra blankets in the drawer over there and I have a phone." Needless to say, the phone would have no reception during this heavy snowstorm but that was nothing that she would mention to young Ecci right now. Yes, over the years, Hazakura Temple had seen few technical novelties but a mobile connection from the hall to the temple has been established since the accident with Maya and Misty Fey.

… _And Phoenix Wright._

"Sister, are you okay?"

_It should not hurt anymore. I'm happy here at Hazakura Temple. I love Sister Bikini like a mother and the young acolytes are my best friends and family. Why do I miss him so much?_

Iris looked outside and frowned.

_He could have at least visited me once or twice._

"Sister?"

"W-what? O-oh, yes. We can begin with the training."

~o~

* * *

~o~

The snow grew heavier and heavier.

_By this rate I will have to dig a way out of the cave. And it's cold …_

Iris leaned deeper into her blankets and worried about Ecci in the training hall. She was not allowed to enter training grounds in order to check on the young acolyte but she wished they could make an exception sometimes. Yes, medium powers were important but they were not everything if it came to human health.

Startled, Iris sat up with a jolt. How long has she dozen off? What time was it?

She took out her phone and checked the time.

"Oh come on, you can at least tell me the time, can't you?" Iris frowned at her phone but the message on it was clear: Time cannot be displayed due to a lack of internet connection. Please contact your provider for further information. "Then I will have to check outside."

Iris threw the blankets off her shoulders and immediately started trembling. No, it was inhumanly cold and not one soul could not freeze right now. She must check on Ecci in a second. _Sister Light now, Iris._

But where the entrance of the cave has been there was a wall of snow, compact and _suffocating._

Iris tried to push the snow out of the way, to dig a hole, to no avail. Okay, what now?

_First, don't panic now, Iris. You have been in worse situations. Go, check on Ecci first._

She opened the trick lock on the training grounds door, entered deeper into the cave and shouted: "Ecci, your training is over! Let's head back to the main hall to get some proper clothes and a warm meal!"

She ignited a little lantern at the side of the door, lifted it and looked around but could not hear anything other than the pattering of the water fall. Light panic grabbed her heart and she hurried deeper into the cave. "Ecci! Ecci, where are you?!" She looked around the waterfall, looked behind stones and at the very deep end of the cave -

"I'm here."

Iris spun around and her breath got caught in her lungs, far worse than any panic or cold up here in the mountains could do to her.

"G-go away. Leave." She held the lantern higher, illuminating her opponent's face, retreating step after step until she felt the cave's wall in her back.

"You're trapped here with me. And what do you think, how should I exact my revenge on you, darling sister Iris?"

Dahlia smiled and moved her hands from behind her back into the light. She had a stone in her hands, bigger than a fist, sharp enough to be called a weapon. Iris' knees trembled against each other and she breathed: "You were to be never channeled again."

"Oh? Well. Too bad." Dahlia shrugged. "Oopsies. Time to die, sister love." She lifted the stone but before the stone could come crashing down Iris threw the lantern onto the ground. The shattering glass and sudden wind extinguished the flame and wrapped them in darkness. Blindly, Iris charged forward, buried her shoulder in Dahlia's soft belly and pushed her out of the way. She could feel the stone hitting her on the back, not strong enough to cause hard damage but enough to make her gasp in pain.

Where to run? Where to hide?

She stumbled over stones in darkness, running for her life. Why was Dahlia here? What could Iris do to protect herself against her murderous intentions? Fear took hold of Iris' mind and clouded her thoughts.

_Think, Iris. THINK._

Dahlia's mocking voice came from behind: "You have nowhere to run, little traitorous bitch. Where do you want to go?" Iris grabbed her mobile phone from her pocket but her hands were shaking so hard that she let the phone drop to the floor. Precious seconds were lost when she duck to find it again and then Dahlia's steps were almost behind her and Iris ran, ran for her life, ran into the Sacred Cavern, bumped against the snow, breathless, not able to catch her breath.

_Turn off the light in the Cavern. She can't see in darkness. She will not see you._

Iris twirled around, ready to smash the lantern on the top side of the cavern with her bare fists if needed.

She was too late. Dahlia was standing at the entrance, stone in hand, hatred in her eyes. Iris had nowhere to go. What should she do? What could she do? There were no weapons to defend herself with around her. Blankets ... the dresser on the side but there were capes and nothing to be used. Snow behind her.

_Think. Think, Iris. What can you do?_

"Oh Iris. Look at you. You look pitiful. Are you scared?" Dahlia smiled but didn't move closer. Iris' finger inched their way over the snow in her back but it was cold and unforgiving and there was no escape through there. Could she maybe run past Dahlia and hide in the darkness? "Do you think about running away again?" Dahlia smiled, turned to close the door with a terrifying squeak and picked up the trick lock from the ground. She looked at the lock, her smiling turning reminiscent, almost sad. "I remember putting up five of those locks onto the door. Because I wanted revenge. But you know, the lawyer was correct back then. I always failed my revenge. This time, I won't allow failure." She put the trick lock on the door with a CLICK, leaned her head against the door for a second, stood there.

_Come ON IRIS._

"Do you know how much I hate you, Iris?" Dahlia turned around and began walking into her direction. Iris could feel the bruise on her back and had her eyes fixed on the stone in Dahlia's hand. Her sister's words were fuzzy in her ears, as if from far away.

_Help. Someone help me. Please!_

"I always thought that you were the luckier one. The one without problems. The better twin sister. Everybody loved you. Yes, sure, they loved me too, but they also feared me. They _knew _that something's wrong with me."

Dahlia lifted the stone over her head with a furious facial expression. "Fuck you, Iris."

Iris didn't feel the pain of being hit on the arm when she plunged to the side, following her instincts. Her foot got entangled with Dahlia's and she fell to the ground with a terrified creak. She turned around in time before the stone could smash her head but Dahlia got hold of her hair and tore at it violently so she could deliver the final blow at Iris' head.

"NO!", Iris screamed and grabbed Dahlia as well, making her lose balance, and they were both on the ground, tussling and rolling over, fighting for control over the other, scratching each other until blood was flowing. Dahlia lost hold of her stone during the silent fight but still tightly held strands of Iris' hair in her hands. Grunting, she moved her hands over the struggling Iris to the demon warding hood tangled around Iris' head, grabbed the cord, tore it in killing intention and -

Dahlia fell off Iris.

Iris, breathing out of control, panicked, got distance between her and Dahlia, screaming and could not stop until she could feel the wall in her back, hit her head against the rough stone. She tore the demon warding hood off her head with another pained scream, staring with widened eyes at Dahlia on the floor but it took her several seconds to understand that it was not Dahlia anymore but Ecci Light and oh god, she was alive.

_I am alive._

The shock set in several moments later. Hot tears ran over her face and she was relieved but so scared at the same time and she could not stop sobbing. Iris covered her face, shaking uncontrollably in the cold and in her shock and in relief as well. She sank to the ground, just feeling the life, the stone in her back, the pain in her body.

It took another minute to understand what had happened, and why Dahlia was gone. And when she understood that, her heart was shattering again and she could not stop her sobbing until the rescuers came to get her out of the cave.

~o~

* * *

~o~

"Oh darling, my sweet darling, Iris!" Sister Bikini ran over to Iris as fast as her little legs and her aching back allowed her (which was pretty fast, considering the circumstances). She motioned to grab Iris' hands but the rescuers moved her to the side gently but firmly. Iris held onto her shock blanket, her hair hanging tangled into her face, eyes wide, and still shaking. "Darling, darling, what happened? Iris!"

They seated her next to the fire but nobody except Sister Bikini urged her to start talking. The young acolytes made her food but she didn't eat until she was forced to. Later she began crying without words of explanation and she fell into panic when she saw Ecci Light enter the room, screaming uncontrollably. Ecci was quietly lead out of the room and questioned but she did not remember a thing that happened in the cavern. Under tears, she could not explain where the scratch marks or bruises on Iris' face, back and arms came from.

In the night, Iris slept terribly, if she even slept at all.

In the morning, her state of mind had not changed and the rescuers suggested to move Iris into a local hospital until she felt better again.

Sister Bikini went to make a phone call.

"Sister Iris." Ecci Light stood at the entrance to the main hall, tears streaming down her face. "I- I don't know what happened but forgive me. If I was a better sister, then -" She cleared her throat, digging her fingers into the fabric of her new sister's clothing. While Sister Iris was feeling sick she was the sister in charge. Had to be the sister in charge.

She had to fill big footsteps.

"Sister Light." One of the young acolytes inched closer and looked into the main hall past the screen that served as door. "Will Sister Iris feel well again soon?"

"I don't know." Sister Light looked at Iris, who nervously fiddled her blanket that she was covered in, not noticing them both at the door even though she looked into their general direction. Sister Bikini had tended after the scratches in her face and bandaged her arm cleanly. But the nuns could not help Iris with the nightmares in Iris' eyes. "I wish I could know." New tears filled her eyes but she wiped them away. No, she must not cry now. Sister Iris never showed her sadness to the outside. She was caring and always there for the other acolytes. Sister Light must follow Iris' example until Iris could feel well again.

Sister Light took the young acolyte by the hand and lead them away from the main hall.

At the same time, a visitor arrived at Hazakura Temple. Sister Bikini welcomed him and urged him to hurry inside. The visitor wasn't hesitant to follow the nun and listened to the brief explanation with sincere but worried face. Before they entered the main hall Sister Bikini forced a demon warding hood on him and warned him to not scare Iris more. She would hold him responsible personally if anything happened to Sister Iris.

When he entered, Iris' facial expression changed from blank to pained. She immediately began crying again.

It was not the same tears like when Sister Light had come in.

This time, Iris was relieved.

"You came", she cried. Phoenix closed the distance between them and grabbed the sitting sister to pull her into a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry, Iris", he whispered into her hair. He caressed her hair, listened to her sobs and didn't speak for a while. Just sitting there with her and listening was enough. She didn't let go of him until her tears dried out but kept her head leaned against his shoulder, breathing in his familiar scent. It took her some strength to raise her head and meet his eyes. There was pain in them. Different kinds of pain. Maybe the same pain that Iris has been hiding for so long.

"You forgot to shave." She raised a hand and touched his cheek. He leaned into her open palm, not averting his eyes for a second from hers.

"Sister Bikini called me in Khura'in. I was traveling as fast as possible as I could."

"Khura'in?"

He nodded. "Business."

"I see." She got a bit of space between them, turning red all of a sudden. "So you came."

"I'm not leaving." He took her hands and she noticed how warm he was. But this was hard for them too. "Iris, what happened to you?" His eyes grazed over her cheeks, tracing the lines of scratches. "Can you tell me? Who did this to you?" His hands closed harder around hers and she could feel anger radiating from him.

She averted her gaze. He let go of her hands and leaned back, and it was the way he was breathing that gave Iris the courage to look at his face again.

He was angry.

Not at her. No, never. He was angry at somebody else.

"Phoenix." She grabbed her blanket tighter, not continuing. He stood up, walked around and hit the wall with his fist. He leaned his forehead against the place that he hit, turned around, walked around again. "Phoenix, I-" Iris felt her eyes burning but her throat was closed with … what? She could say no word.

"Do you know-" Phoenix grabbed the golden chain that was leading into his breast pocket, eyes flashing. "Do you have an idea how many people tried to hurt me with attacking people that _are important to me_, Iris? I hunt them down. I put them before court. I get them convicted. And I'm not even a prosecutor." He threw his head back and bellowed in some sort of cynical laugh. "Maybe I picked the wrong profession after all. Maybe I should have become a prosecutor. Whoever did this to you will pay, Iris. I will make them pay."

"No, Phoenix." She stood up and almost fell over because her knees felt so weak but strong arms caught her and helped her stand. She brushed him away and stood on her own feet. She had to if she wanted to tell him.

"Are you protecting someone? Iris, this is nonsense, you mustn't-!"

"No, Phoenix. Listen." Iris breathed out through her mouth. She could feel the darkness call for her on the side of her eyes and she had little time before she would lose consciousness. She had to tell him NOW. "It was D-Dahlia."

"Dahlia?" All color escaped Phoenix's face. He looked on the verge of losing consciousness himself. His shoulders twitched and he reached out, helpless from one second to the other. "But how? Who would – _Why _would anyone channel her?"

"I don't know", Iris whispered. She made a vague gesture, keeping her concentration on her feet on the ground and keeping steady. "But you remember the letter you sent me back then?"

Phoenix looked at her in confusion for a second. He remembered, closed his eyes with a trace of guilt, "Iris, I didn't think clearly, I lost my ba-"

"Thanks to the letter I survived, Phoenix."

"What?" The confusion returned on his face. Iris nodded gravely. She breathed out again but her consciousness was fading away faster now.

"I took the wrong hood because of the letter, Phoenix. The one with the magatama of parting. Not the demon warding-"

"Iris!"

~o~

~o~

When she came to again Sister Bikini was beating up Phoenix with a broom, who just tried to walk around the sister into Iris' direction. Hands were holding her in an embrace and Iris recognized Sister Light, who leaned over her with eyes full of worry.

_It's not your fault._

"I told you I will make you pay if something happens to Iris!", Sister Bikini was screaming, "Don't you see how bad she's feeling? You have no guilty conscience, you rascal, haven't you!"

"Sister Bikini!" Iris sounded weak. Yes, she hadn't been eating a lot. She was injured and cold. And just now it caught up to her.

"Darling, you have a fever!" Sister Bikini's hands suddenly were everywhere, checking her pulse, forehead, heartbeat. "Shush, go to bed now! Thank goodness you're better now!"

"It's thanks to Phoenix", Iris explained but Sister Bikini was already giving orders to Sister Light to get Iris into bed and for the acolytes to prepare herbs and baths for Iris right now. It wasn't until later that Phoenix could move Sister Bikini (together with Iris' help) to let him into her room to talk.

"But only talking, you hear me? I know you, young ones, doing bad things behind closed doors! We're a temple, a sacred hall, don't forget that! And Iris is sick! SICK!"

"Sister!" Iris had been blushing a bit too hard on this but Phoenix took Sister Bikini's words very serious.

"I won't touch her, Sister Bikini. You have my word."

~o~

~o~

Alone with each other in Iris' room turned out more awkward than anticipated. Iris felt the urge to say something, something that was not about the incident itself and asked: "Why Khura'in?"

_Applause, Iris. Why Khura'in. Wow._

"Oh, we have been a part of a revolution." Phoenix didn't sound as if he was entirely concentrated on his answer. He looked lost in thoughts.

"Revolution? Is that the reason why you have become so serious? I remember you … differently. Not that this new you is ... not nice."

"Hm? Oh." Phoenix looked away but his facial expression didn't lighten up. Iris didn't recognize the man in front of her. Not anymore. "I'm sorry I didn't come earlier, Iris."

"You had your reasons, I believe."

"No." His eyes were pain again. "This is no excuse, Iris. I know you want to see the good things in everything but it's no excuse. People helped me all the time. I should be there to help them too." He put his head against his fist, leaning over his knees. His eyes were such a beautiful blue color. Iris had forgotten how much she used to love him.

"You are helping people, Phoenix. You are a defense attorney", she answered.

"I guess, yes." He looked away. He extended a hand and his fingers closed around hers. "I wasn't there for you. I should have been there when you needed me. You know, I always wanted to be there for my friends. And you're more than a friend, Iris."

Silence settled between them. Iris thought about his words, thought about their meaning. Then she shook his head.

"No. I don't think so, Phoenix." Before he could open his mouth to protest, she continued. "Do you remember Godot?"

"Of course. Who could forget a prosecutor who used to throw his coffee at me?" He frowned. "What about him?"

"During my last trial he said something to me. Something important. He said he wanted to be there for someone and he couldn't. I could see it, Phoenix. He broke over it. But you're not like him, Phoenix. First of, you are a defense attorney. You have helped thousands of people However", her eyes sparkled accusingly, "you could have visited, yes. You could have come here more often." She bit her lower lip. "But you left everything behind and came here when Sister Bikini called you. And this is important to me."

"That's the least I could do." He looked shaken. He grazed the palm of her hand with his thumb, drawing circles over her skin. "Do you want to talk about what happened in the cave?"

~o~

* * *

~o~

Eventually, Phoenix had to leave for Khura'in again. Shortly said, he had business there with the legal system. Iris said that she was proud how caring he was with all people, no matter who they were. She told him that she was happy to have been able to meet with him again, and she cried a bit but it were tears of happiness. Now she finally understood that this person was a different Phoenix that she knew and was in love with but technically still the same, even though he was more mature, more sincere in his ways.

When Phoenix was just a little figure on the horizon Iris felt at peace with herself.

However, one thing she had to clear with the acolytes. There was one person to never be channeled, no matter the circumstances. Everybody should understand this and it was Iris' calling to make sure of it.

Never again, Iris swore to herself.

~o~

~o~

~o~

Notes: I let a writing prompt generator give me the first sentence of this story and I hadn't planned to write it like this. What an unexpected turn of events!

I really wish ace attorney would connect parts with each other more but oh well, I guess with that much of cast it would be difficult to include everyone. Sadface.

If you wonder why I put ~o~ in parts of the story, well, that's for formating reasons. I know that readers can change the distance between parts in view buuuuut I dislike seeing it in the OG version like a clump of text.

I also decided to not put this as writing prompt because I kinda feel it should be an individual story instead. [Kontext: I usually add short stories in one file when it's not a bigger story]

~o~

Hope you enjoyed the story ^^


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